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Fall of Nations/Vehicles/M37 heavy tank/Historical Information
The Chrysler "K" was an American heavy tank project started by the Chrysler Corporation shortly after the end of the Second World War. With the appearance of the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank and the knowledge of German super-heavy tanks such as the Maus and E-100, the United States had an increased interest in heavy tanks to bolster its armored forces. The vehicle never left the design phase. Design After the victory of World War II, many German projects became known to the allied countries that saw the development and experimentation of advanced, heavily armored, and powerful heavy tanks. While many of these projects were deemed impractical by both German officials during the war and allied officials post-war, they did spark an increased interest around the world for heavily armored fighting vehicles. For the Western allies, the Soviet presentation of the IS-3 at the victory parade in Berlin caused concern over the adequacy of their own vehicles at the time. Seeing many of their tanks as being unable to reliably deal with vehicles like the IS-3, and with the Cold War beginning to start, the western allies started to pool resources into the development for a new generation of armored vehicles. With each country going in different directions, the United States started numerous programs for vehicles that could deal with the IS-3, inevitably replacing the then-heavy tank M26 Pershing. The Chrysler Corporation submitted a proposal for an unconventional heavy tank in May of 1946 that would be radically different than vehicles then in service with the military. Called the Chrysler "K", the vehicle saw numerous sophisticated advancements that had limited testing during the Second World War including an electric motor, the driver positioned in the turret, and remote controlled secondary turrets. The vehicle would be armed with the 105 mm gun T5E1, which had been used as the main armament for the T28 and T29 heavy tank projects during the war, and five machine guns of the Browning M2 and Browning M1919 types. The Chrysler "K" would have a forward-mounted 1200 horsepower engine, torsion bar suspension, and 180 millimeters of frontal hull and turret armor, giving good survivability and durability. The projected weight for the vehicle would be 60 tons, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 20 horsepower-per-ton. The vehicle was thought to show promise and the construction of a small-scale mock-up was approved by the United States military. Funds for tank development, however, dwindled after World War II and the Chrysler "K", amongst other designs, were cancelled. The original plans and the mock-up were lost and are not known to have survived. The army, instead, decided to continue developing its own heavy tank project, the T43, which would eventually become the M103 heavy tank in 1957, over a decade later. Variants *'Chrysler "K"' - Welded hull, cast turret. Never built. Historical Gallery M37 heavy tank - Reference 1.jpg|The only surviving image of the original mock-up. Circa 1946. M37 heavy tank - Reference 2.jpg|A modern interpretation of the design for the Chrysler "K". M37 heavy tank - Reference 3.png|An artist's representation of a side view of the Chrysler "K". M37 heavy tank - Reference 4.png|An artist's interpretation of a front view of the Chrysler "K". M37 heavy tank - Reference 13.jpg|A modern interpretation of the Chrysler "K", as seen in the game World of Tanks.